Judgment of the Gods
by Rowanoak23
Summary: Princess Celestia calls upon the Mane Cast to defend Princess Luna against the judgment of the other gods and goddesses and prove that Nightmare Moon is gone for good. Reviews are deeply appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first attempt at an MLP:FiM fanfic so please keep that in mind. I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which is © to Hasbro and Lauren Faust. Only the story line and original characters appearing within are © to me. Please enjoy.**

**Judgment of the Gods**

**Chapter I**

"…and that is why friends sometimes decide that it's necessary to never discuss something that has happened, like the oatmeal incident, ever again." Twilight dictated to her purple draconic assistant. "Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Please send it when you're done Spike."

"No problem Twilight." He stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth as he scribbled the end of the message down. "Got it!"

"And send!" The unicorn beamed as the purple dragon took a deep breath and a green flame engulfed her scroll. "Great! I'm sure the Princess will be eager to read my report."

Spike quirked his brow at the young unicorn but said nothing. "So what's up for the rest of the day?"

Twilight levitated over her clipboard, complete with checklist, and a quill. "Well, let's see…at noon I'm going to have lunch at Sweet Apple Acres with Applejack and her family, then from one to two I penciled in some light reading, then at two I scheduled a snack with Pinkie Pie over at Sugar Cube Corner for twenty minutes followed by a thirty-eight minute spa appointment with Rarity and Fluttershy and I expect a group song will break out for three or four minutes sometime after four…" Spike rolled his eyes.

"Did you also schedule in when you'll yawn, hiccup, and stretch your legs?" He asked archly. Twilight chuckled.

"Don't be ridiculous Spike," she chastised him gently. "You make it sound as if I'm some sort of nut!"

"Well, we certainly wouldn't want that." Spike deadpanned. "So…what about Rainbow Dash?" He settled on asking, having wisely given up on the previous line of conversation.

Twilight frowned. "Ooh that pegasus…she refuses to make any plans for the day in advance! She just flies around and naps whenever she wants to, there's no rhyme or reason to it!"

"Imagine that," came Spike's dry response.

Levitating her saddle bags over her back, Twilight shook her mane. "It's okay. I already I made sure there's enough flexibility in my schedule to make up for Rainbow Dash's unpredictability."

"Uh-huh. Next you'll be telling me you've figured out how Pinkie Pie suddenly appears out of nowhere."

"Spike," the unicorn said with a smile. "She does _not_ simply appear out of nowhere…"

Pinkie Pie nodded. "She's right you know."

"Exactly!" Twilight beamed at Spike. "Pinkie just—?" Then she paused and blinked, looking to the pink earth pony who had suddenly appeared next to her. In the middle of the room. And the door remained closed. "Gyaah! Pinkie where did you come from?"

She giggled. "Silly Twilight, didn't your parents ever tell you? When a mommy pony and daddy pony loved each other very much—"

"No!" Twilight stamped her hoof down. "I mean, how did you get here?"

"Well I have these thingies called legs, if I were a pegasus I would have wings and—oooh!—if I had flippers or a fishy tail I'd be a sea pony and that would be really neat 'cause we don't see enough sea ponies and—"

"PIN-KIEEEEE!" Twilight shouted in frustration. "What did—how did—GRAAAAAH!"

"Twilight?" Pinkie blinked, cocking her head at a weird angle. "This is fun, but you're not making any sense." The purple unicorn felt her eye twitch.

"_**I'm**_ not making any sense?" Twilight repeated in sheer amazement.

Pinkie nodded. "Ya-huh. Good to know that we're in agreement! It's like we're on the same page! Oooh but if we're on the same page then that means that if you're not making sense, then I'm not making sense which is crazy because I always make sense! So I guess we're not on the same page after all. Maybe we're still in the same chapter?"

"I don't think you two are even in the same genre." Spike snerked as he headed out of the library to grab a snack. Might as well get a dinner to go with the show.

"How long do ya'll reckon they'll be?" Applejack asked, turning to Rainbow Dash as the two of them stood outside the library, listening to the ruckus within. The cyan pegasus shrugged, shaking out her wings.

"Meh, how should I know? When Pinkie gets on a roll, and when Twilight gets on a roll…ugh, it's like time stops for them!"

"Well, Twi was gonna mosey on over tah th' farm fer lunch but now…" The cowpony shrugged, tipping her hat back.

Rainbow Dash nodded knowingly dimly aware of the sounds of Twilight's frustration and Pinkie's giggling in the background. "So…" she started, pausing as she heard a crash come from the library. "How's that cousin of yours in Appleloosia doing?"

"Braeburn? He's fine I reckon. Why d'ya want to know?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Is there sumthin' I should know about between the two of you…?"

Rainbow Dash's eye quirked upwards. "Huh? What're you—?" Her eyes widened as her wings flared outwards in shock. "What? Me and Braeburn? No way AJ!"

"Why not?" Applejack asked with the barest trace of a smile. "Is mah kin not good enough fer you?"

With a snort, Rainbow folded her wings up against her flank. "_Oooh_ _no_! You're not suckering me into _that_ talk. Your cousin's fine, but I'd prefer a pony who can keep up with me. The fastest thing about Braeburn is his mouth." Applejack couldn't resist laughing at that.

"Yeah, he shore does have a way 'bout speakin'. Almost as fast as Pinkie Pie sumtimes. But if'n yer not interested in Braeburn like that, then why-?"

"I wanted to know if he'd heard from Little Strongheart lately." The pegasus looked at Applejack. "The buffalo aren't exactly big on writing mail. Anyway, they should be back from their annual stampede across the plains soon, so I wanted to know if Braeburn's heard from her. I use him to pass on messages for me."

Applejack nodded her head knowingly. "Ah see. But are you suuure—?"

"Puh-lease!" Rainbow snorted. "If I started dating one of your relatives I'd never hear the end of it! Not to mention the fact that I don't need Granny Smith giving me the stinkeye every time I go down to the farm." She shuddered for a moment. "Besides," she tossed her mane back, looking particularly dashing. "It wouldn't be fair to Apple Bloom to have such an awesomely amazing pegasus in the family, stealing your spotlight. I mean, it's not fair to you; how can you compete with somepony like me?" She gave a smug cocky grin, the type she knew drove Applejack nuts. "I think a little sister's idol should be her big sister…she couldn't do that when I'm around, after all."

Applejack snorted. "Whatever you say Rainbow…" she said, rolling her eyes.

There was a pause as the conversation seemed to have ended. Then Rainbow frowned in thought. "Hmm…you know? If I _was_ gonna start bucking for somepony from the Apple family I'd have to go with Big Macintosh. I mean, have you seen the size of him? Now that's a stallion!"

"Rainbow!" Applejack looked at her in something between mild disgust and horror. "That's my big brother!"

"Eeyup!" She smiled. "Might be nice to have a little sister-in-law. I mean he may not be fast or anything, but is he ever strong! Plus he's quiet and you _know_ what they say about the quiet ones…"

"RAINBOW MIRIAM DASH!" The orange pony whinnied loudly as she raised her forelegs up to push her hat down over her ears, her freckled cheeks blushing something fierce. The pegasus smirked and rubbed her right fore leg against her chest.

"I know, I know. I'm awesome."

"You're a—" Applejack's reply was cut off as she heard the sound of hooves clopping hard against the ground. Pushing her hat back up, she saw Pinkie Pie galloping towards her, a confused Twilight Sparkle in her wake and Spike plodding along after _her_. "Pinkie Pie? What's so gall durn important that y'all—"

"Bless you!" Pinkie Pie said primly, hopping in place.

"Huh?" Applejack blinked. "But ah didn't—AH-CHOO!" She sneezed. "Ugh, but how—?"

"My right back knee itched and I blinked twice." Pinkie Pie answered simply, as if it should be obvious; and perhaps it should have been. "I just hope Rarity and Fluttershy get here in time to greet her!"

"Greet who, Pinkie?" Twilight sighed, accepting the reality of her Pinkie Sense but still not loving the concept of something beyond her understanding.

"Princess Celestia!" Pinkie said, bouncing in place.

"But the Princess—" Whatever Twilight was about to say was lost when Spike belched up a familiar green fire that coalesced into a scroll with the royal seal on it. "A letter from Princess Celestia!" Twilight's horn glowed as she unrolled the scroll and read its contents aloud. "_My dearest student Twilight Sparkle, I will be arriving shortly in Ponyville on a matter of the utmost importance. Please gather your friends and wait for me outside the library. Your teacher, Princess Celestia_." Twilight blinked. "But how did you—?"

"Well," Pinkie beamed. "I knew we'd be getting a letter from the princess because my belly started getting itchy and I knew she'd be coming here because my left ear twitched, my front knees knocked and I felt a little bit gas—"

"Pinkie!" Twilight stomped her hoof, her face a bit red. "I think we get the picture."

Applejack sighed. "Well, there goes lunch. Ah'll go get Rarity. Rainbow could ya round up Fluttershy?"

"In ten seconds flat. Race you back here!" She tossed off as she flew off, leaving a rainbow contrail in her wake.

"Hey!" Applejack took off in a gallop.

"I wonder what the Princess wants." Twilight mused.

Pinkie Pie gasped. "Oooh! Maybe she wants me to throw her a super duper special royal party!"

"Somehow, I don't think that's it." The purple unicorn said in bemusement. No sooner it seemed than Rainbow Dash and Applejack had returned with Fluttershy and Rarity, respectively, in tow than Princess Celestia arrived. There was no chariot pulled by guard pegasi, no fanfare, indeed; no one but the princess herself. If anything, the princess' arrival without the usual guards and baggage and trappings of the court only seemed to underscore her seriousness and the importance of whatever had brought her out here from Canterlot.

"Princess!" Twilight gasped at her sudden arrival, leading her friends in bowing to her. Princess Celestia nodded, sparing only the briefest of small smiles for her beloved student and protégé.

"Hello Twilight Sparkle and hello to your friends too." Her smile waned as she went on. "I'm very sorry for my abrupt appearance but I need you all to come with me immediately. It's very important that you assist me."

"Of course, we'll do anything we can to help!" Twilight gasped. "What is it?"

Celestia stared at the bearers of the Elements of Harmony solemnly. "I need you to help me save my sister, Princess Luna, from a horrible fate."

In the heavy silence that followed only one thing flashed through the young ponies present and as usual, it was Rainbow Dash who blurted out what she was thinking without hesitation. "What, again?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

**EARLIER**

"_You know why we've summoned you Princess Celestia." A clear strong voice rang out; more of a statement than a question. There were only a handful of beings who could summon the Princess; the immortal ruler of Equestria and raiser of the sun. The fact that they had all gathered together for the first time in over a thousand years was not a good omen._

_Celestia was afraid. The sun goddess and princess was actually afraid: not an everyday occurrence. In fact, it had been over a thousand years since she had been this afraid and it was for much the same reason then as it was now._

_Of course, Celestia would never let herself show fear. Not to them. Not over this. If they saw how off balance Celestia was then her cause was as good as lost. And Celestia had no intention of losing this battle._

_Raising her head she looked around the circle of the only beings in the world she could count as her equals: the other princes and princesses of the world, the other gods and goddesses of the Pantheon._

"_I do." Her own voice rang out in turn, as clear and strong as the dawn she ushered in each day. "It's about Luna, isn't it." As before, it was phrased as a question but was in fact a statement._

"_Of course it's about your sister." Another god said around a mouthful of grapes. "We wouldn't all get together just to talk about the weather, would we?" Celestia let a tiny smile pull at the corner of her mouth. It was Prince Pan, the god of grapes, olives and wines, and ruler of goats. It was he who taught the mortals the way of fermenting fine beverages from fruits and plants, something the other gods had been regretting for millennia. He was also a notorious lecher. The first time he'd made a pass at Celestia she'd threatened to move the sun so close to his precious vineyards that they'd all catch on fire. Undeterred he replied that warm beverages weren't as good as cold ones, but for her sake he'd be willing to try it. Celestia wondered if all those years of head butting hadn't permanently damaged his mind. She eventually became fond of the goat prince, but kept turning him down, albeit gently, year after year, century after century. It was just like him to try and lighten a very serious, and somber, occasion._

_This time though, the rest of the Pantheon wasn't having it. "Enough of your nonsense Pan," snorted a large burly bison, large even by the standards of a bison. It was Chief Stone Hoof, the god of earth and ruler of the bison. He was perpetually in a bad mood, made all the worse for the fact that most mortals conflated bison with the buffalo, so much so that some of his own people started to refer to themselves as buffalo; having long given up on correcting the misconceptions of ponies. His hooves were made of pure adamant and his stampedes created the wide flat, plains where his kind lived. When he was in a temper his stampedes shook the entire world, creating earthquakes and new continents and mountains. "We're here to decide what's to be done about Luna's return and Celestia's decisions leading up to it." He glowered at Celestia, to no effect. Celestia, having known her fellow immortals for long millennia, had long since ceased to be surprised or intimidated by Stone Hoof's temper. She was glad, however, that Luna was not present. She wasn't ready for this._

_ Princess Zarafa frowned as she looked down on Stone Hoof and Pan. Not out of arrogance, but out of nature as she was the princess of the giraffes. Her long supple neck, towering over even her fellow giraffes, was covered in golden bands and necklaces. It was Zarafa who taught the birds how to build their nests and where to find the best places to put them. "Please, control yourselves." She said gently, but firmly. Zarafa did her best to bring her head down to Celestia's level so she could look her fellow goddess in the eye. "Celestia, we need to know why you did it."_

_ "And why you did not consult us." That was Princess Ghazal of the gazelles, the goddess of beauty. It was she who brought beauty to the world, teaching the myriad equines and bovines of the world how to create art, music, dance, and literature, and to move with grace, dignity, and beauty. She was simply lovely, even for a goddess._

_ The camel Sultan Haizum nickered softly, his flowing kerchief swaying as he shook his head. He ruled the vast desert to the south that separated Equestria from the flowing savannahs and hot lands beyond them where the zebras, giraffes, gazelles and other hoofed creatures of Equefrica lived. "It was us, all of us, who met and decided to banish Princess Luna a millennium ago when she allowed herself to be transformed into that evil _djinn_ Nightmare Moon. That you knew of her impending return and chose not to tell us…" His frown made his long face look even longer._

_ "Have you so little trust in your fellow gods, that you left it to a small band of mortal ponies to beat the odds?" came the odd accented cadence of the zebra goddess of irrigation and agriculture, Princess Nzambi._

"_Spare us the doggerel." Kutbay, prince of the donkeys muttered, as he rolled his eyes. "Nzambi has a point though." While a gloomy, even dour, god he was responsible for teaching mortals the art of writing, learning, and wisdom. He was also incredibly depressing and a bit of a pill. "We could've faced the end of the world." He said gloomily. Celestia noted that Kutbay never sounded more animated than when he was talking about destruction and the end of the world._

_Before long all of the assembled princes and princesses, gods and goddesses couldn't help but put in their two bits. Prince Tulpar of the onagers, Princess Noor of the impala, and all the gods representing the various four legged, hoofed mortals of the word: buffalo, okapi, wildebeests, alpacas, llamas, horses, oryx, gaurs, cows, impala, antelopes, pronghorns, moose, yaks, reindeer and others started talking over one another until nothing intelligible could be heard._

_Finally a sharp crack of a hoof against the floor brought the room to a silent halt. "_Enough!_" It was the first voice that had spoken: Lord Herne of the deer, god of trees and all things that grew. While all the rulers present were equals few could measure up to Herne. He was a majestic royal stag with twelve spikes, or tines, on his proud head and his antlers marked him out immediately as a being of great power and distinction. Two sharp brow tines flayed out like curved daggers. Above them the bez tines were slightly smaller and further out, above the beams rose the trez tines which rose larger again before the antlers flowered into their high cups. Plaited golden leaves wrapped around his antlers, which unlike the rest of his kind never fell off. On his brow was a perfectly shaped white patch in the shape of a rowan leaf, testament to what his abilities were._

_ "This is getting us nowhere." He continued in his deep voice. "Celestia, you have ruled your land and carried out the responsibilities as the raiser of the sun without fail. It is no secret that even among your peers you are highly regarded for your fairness, your wisdom, and your compassion." His eyes narrowed. "But when Nightmare Moon returned, you abdicated your responsibility to your ponies and to the Pantheon. You _knew_ she would return and you deliberately kept us in the dark. You stepped aside and left it your student and her friends to face a menace the combined might of the Pantheon was barely able to contain a thousand years ago. And now you have welcomed Princess Luna back, offered to let her resume her old duties as raiser of the moon, as if nothing had ever happened. All of this you have done without our permission, indeed, without even consulting us."_

_ "My sister is not Nightmare Moon. The bitterness and jealousy that consumed her are gone and the evil that entered her heart has been banished, destroyed." Celestia looked Herne squarely in the eyes. "There is not a trace of Nightmare Moon left within her. She is no threat to the world or to the Pantheon and there is certainly nothing to prevent her from resuming her old responsibilities."_

_ "And how can you be so sure?" Came the retort of Kutbay. "Last time you did not see the poison corrupting Luna until it was too late. How can you know if some part of the poison remains within her heart?"_

_ Celestia resisted the urge to wince. "Her repentance was genuine. The Elements of Harmony destroyed Nightmare Moon and freed Luna from her grip."_

_ "Celestia," Ghazal said gently. "We call ourselves gods but we are not omniscient. Even we cannot see into another's heart. What if you are wrong?"_

_ "I am not." Came the alicorn's strong but even reply._

_ "But what if you were?" Ghazal pressed._

_Herne shook his head. "Celestia, we are far from unsympathetic. We know how hard this must be for you, to have lost your sister once a millennium ago, to now have her back again. But you are letting your feelings cloud your judgment. If any fragment, even so much as a sliver, of Nightmare Moon remains within Luna she could become corrupted again. The Elements of Harmony failed a thousand years ago to purge the influence of Nightmare Moon from the Moon Princess and instead banished her. Who's to say that they succeeded this time?"_

"_There is nothing more dangerous than a mad goddess." Kutbay put in dourly, his voice capable of draining all the charm from the happiest of places._

_ "She is a threat to us and to all of our subjects!" Stone Hoof snorted angrily, his nostrils flaring. "If you wish to gamble with the lives of your subjects that is your business. But we will not be so cavalier with our own!"_

_ Celestia had never been one to lose her temper before, but she had been meaning to start. Now seemed as good a time as any. "How _dare_ you." She breathed. Her voice was barely above a whisper, sounding all the more furious in contrast to Stone Hoof's typically loud bellows. "Nothing is more important to me than the safety of all my little ponies, all my subjects, including Luna. _Nothing_. If you think differently then perhaps we should step outside." Celestia lowered her head, her horn pointing directly between Stone Hoof's eyes. She snorted, pawing her hooves against the ground as if preparing to charge._

_ Herne stepped between the two of them. "Enough of this." He glowered at Stone Hoof, who mumbled something angrily under his breath and backed away. "No one is accusing you of not caring for the fate of your subjects." Herne said evenly. No one competent anyway, the thought filtered across the room though no god cared to say it aloud._

_Without letting them dwell on the point, the majestic stag went on. "However there is a point to be considered. Your actions affect not only Equestria, but our lands and our subjects too. When Nightmare Moon returned and the sun did not rise, there was fear and panic. We could not allay those fears because _we_, their rulers, did not know what was happening. Because you did not tell us, because you did not confide in us, you did not _trust us_." Herne emphasized with a stamp of his hoof. "We are equals here Celestia. You cannot choose to hide things from us, cannot mistrust us. The management of the world depends upon our cooperation. What a catastrophe it would be for all mortals if the sun, the moon, the tides and winds and all the elements of nature were not in balance. There can be no room for doubt or mistrust. If you cannot trust us Celestia—and with your actions we are unsure if we can trust you—then you cannot remain numbered among us." He looked at her significantly. "You know what this means."_

_ "I do." Celestia nodded, stiffly. "I will undertake the preparations needed to prove to you, to all of you, that Nightmare Moon has no hold over my little sister and that my actions, all of them, were necessary."_

_ Herne nodded. "Good. We will reconvene in three days time to hear your arguments." More gently he added. "Good luck Celestia." As Herne turned and walked away, the other assembled gods and goddesses did likewise, leaving Celestia feeling very much alone; in more ways than one. _

When Celestia finished retelling her meeting to Twilight and her friends the gravity of the situation threatened to flatten them against the ground. Even Rainbow Dash, unable to sit still for more than two minutes at a stretch, fluttered down to the ground and tucked her wings away. It was another minute before anyone was capable of speech.

"W-what do you want us to do?" Twilight stammered. Celestia looked at her gravely.

"I need you—all of you—to tell the Pantheon what happened: all of it. Starting from when you, Twilight, first learned of the return of Nightmare Moon to her defeat by the Elements of Harmony. Because of my lack of…objectivity, my word will not sway the council. I need you to convince them that Luna is not Nightmare Moon; that no trace of her influence remains within her."

"Why shoot, no problem! Er, yer majesty." Applejack added at the last minute. "We'll tell them all abou' what happen'd an' why Luna's fit as fiddle!"

"Yeah, anything for you!" Pinkie Pie flounced up and down. Celestia smiled but shook her head.

"You cannot simply say something because it is what I want you to say. You can speak nothing but the complete and total truth to the council. If you say that Luna is free from Nightmare Moon, it has to be because you believe it: down to the very morrow of your being and because you will do whatever it takes to prove it, which is what they will ask you to do." She said gently.

"Um, e-excuse me your highness, s-sorry, but if you don't mind me asking, um what, what will they do if they…don'tbelieveus?" Fluttershy finished with a squeak.

Celestia raised her head, as if looking at a point above and beyond the six ponies before her. "If…if that should happen, the Pantheon will demand that I turn Luna over to them. I will refuse. In punishment, they will banish all ponies from their lands and realms and recall their own subjects from Equestria. They will prevent any trade or travel between Equestria and any other land, completely isolating us. If I still refuse they will punish all of Equestria for my stubbornness; they will send howling winds, torrential storms, earthquakes, tornados; all the raw power at their disposal to desolate Equestria and all ponies until I agree to give them Luna. Then, as punishment for my defiance, they will relieve me of my position and duties to Equestria and the sun and entrust them to another. They will strip me of my magic. I will lose my horn and my wings and, finally, my divinity. I would be a mortal pony, without any magic."

Twilight's eyes glistened as she buried her face into Celestia's softly rainbow colored mane, ever moving due to the invisible solar winds. "W-what about Princess Luna?" She sniffled, horrified at the future Celestia laid out. The princess wrapped her wing around her beloved pupil and tried to comfort her.

"Luna…they will destroy Luna. Completely and utterly." Celestia closed her eyes as tears welled up within them.


End file.
